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SMILE

active
Science ExplorationLEOCOSPAR 2026-109ALaunched 5/19/2026
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Mission & Launch
Launch Mission
SMILE Mission
Launch Vehicle
Vega C
Launch Date
5/19/2026
Orbit & Mass
Orbit Class
LEO
Altitude
702 km
Inclination
70 deg
Dry Mass
707 kg
Total Mass
2,300 kg
Payload Classification
Mission Type
Science Exploration
Payload Category
SCI
Payload Class
C
Organizations
Operator
Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS)
Manufacturer
Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Innovation Academy for Microsatellites
Registry
COSPAR ID
2026-109A
Track
Mentions
317
All verified mentions of this spacecraft in source documents.
0.0-5.0
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Smile is scheduled to launch on 19 May from the ESA spaceport in French Guiana on a Vega-C rocket.

PlanValue 4.0May 9, 2026España aporta el “cerebro” de la misión Smile que despegará el 19 de mayo

Sener developed one of Smile’s communication antennas, specifically an X-band receiving antenna.

Capability
Page9of16
Relationships
Value 4.0
May 9, 2026
España aporta el “cerebro” de la misión Smile que despegará el 19 de mayo

Smile can observe the northern lights continuously for 45 hours.

CapabilityValue 3.0May 9, 2026España aporta el “cerebro” de la misión Smile que despegará el 19 de mayo

SMILE is scheduled to launch from French Guiana.

PlanValue 3.0May 5, 2026La serie Perfiles prepara su décimo monográfico sobre la industria espacial española

The SMILE spacecraft is a collaboration between the European Space Agency and the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

RelationshipsValue 4.2Apr 27, 2026Sino-European SMILE Spacecraft Launch Postponed to May 19th

SMILE carries two Light Ion Analyser instruments.

CapabilityValue 4.0Apr 27, 2026Sino-European SMILE Spacecraft Launch Postponed to May 19th

SMILE is scheduled to launch on a Vega-C rocket from French Guiana no earlier than May 19.

PlanCapabilityValue 4.0Apr 27, 2026Sino-European SMILE Spacecraft Launch Postponed to May 19th

SMILE will spend about a month after launch gradually reaching a 121,000-by-5,000-kilometer science orbit.

PlanCapabilityValue 3.9Apr 27, 2026Sino-European SMILE Spacecraft Launch Postponed to May 19th

SMILE will reach a 700-kilometer parking orbit about 57 minutes after liftoff.

PlanCapabilityValue 4.0Apr 27, 2026Sino-European SMILE Spacecraft Launch Postponed to May 19th

SMILE is designed to improve understanding of solar storms, geomagnetic storms, and space weather.

CapabilityValue 2.0Apr 27, 2026Sino-European SMILE Spacecraft Launch Postponed to May 19th

SMILE will make quasi-continuous observations of Earth’s magnetosphere with remote-sensing and in-situ instruments.

CapabilityPlanValue 4.0Apr 27, 2026Sino-European SMILE Spacecraft Launch Postponed to May 19th

Avio discovered technical issues with subsystem components during Vega-C production that may have affected SMILE’s launch campaign.

CapabilityPlanValue 4.0Apr 27, 2026Sino-European SMILE Spacecraft Launch Postponed to May 19th

SMILE carries four instruments: a Soft X-ray Imager, an UltraViolet Imager, a Light Ion Analyser, and a Magnetometer.

CapabilityGeneralValue 4.0Apr 27, 2026Sino-European SMILE Spacecraft Launch Postponed to May 19th

Smile will transmit data to ground stations from its low point over the South Pole.

CapabilityValue 2.0Apr 25, 2026El lanzamiento de la misión Smile se reprograma para el 19 de mayo tras un problema técnico

Smile's data are expected to help protect critical infrastructure such as navigation satellites, communications systems, and power grids.

CapabilityGeneralValue 2.0Apr 25, 2026El lanzamiento de la misión Smile se reprograma para el 19 de mayo tras un problema técnico

Smile will study how Earth responds to particle streams and radiation bursts from the Sun.

GeneralValue 2.0Apr 25, 2026El lanzamiento de la misión Smile se reprograma para el 19 de mayo tras un problema técnico

Smile is a European-Chinese space cooperation mission.

GeneralValue 1.5Apr 25, 2026El lanzamiento de la misión Smile se reprograma para el 19 de mayo tras un problema técnico

Smile's final orbit will be an elliptical trajectory that reaches 121,000 kilometers above the North Pole and then descends to 5,000 kilometers above the South Pole.

CapabilityPlanValue 4.0Apr 25, 2026El lanzamiento de la misión Smile se reprograma para el 19 de mayo tras un problema técnico

Smile will use an ultraviolet camera to monitor the northern lights continuously for periods of up to 45 hours.

CapabilityPlanValue 4.0Apr 25, 2026El lanzamiento de la misión Smile se reprograma para el 19 de mayo tras un problema técnico

Smile will separate from Vega-C 57 minutes after liftoff and deploy its solar panels 63 minutes after launch.

PlanCapabilityValue 3.5Apr 25, 2026El lanzamiento de la misión Smile se reprograma para el 19 de mayo tras un problema técnico